Ethnic Studies

110 Ross Frank

Fall 2002

Office: SSB 227

Phone: 858-534-6646

Keep the following questions in mind as you read Calvin Martin's Keepers of the Game for next Thursday's class discussion:

1) Describe beliefs that Native groups in the Northeast and Great Lakes areas held concerning disease? How did these views change with European contact?

2) Why did Native groups participate in the fur trade? How persuasive do you find the motives that Martin argues for? Are there alternative interpretations?

3) According to Martin, why did the Native American groups of the Great Lakes area violate their own religious ideas and slaughter animals indiscriminately? How convincing do you find Martin's evidence that the Woodlands groups did this? If so, when did this take place (groups may have different chronologies)? How are Europeans implicated?

4) How does what we know about the Midéwiwin religion fit with the kinds of changes that Martin argues took place in the cultural world view of Native group?

We will not organize in groups on Thursday 10/31 but will have class discussion organized around these questions and issues.

Please make sure you have done the reading and thought carefully about the questions. I will take attendance and grade the discussion session.